Biota! to be built in East London

A huge 'wildlife visitor experience' called Biota! is to be built in East London, the BBC reports. The attraction is a project of the Zoological Society of London charity, which also runs London Zoo, and is due to open in 2008.

The site, which will be the size of 5 football pitches, will be home to invertebrates, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds in huge exhibits including huge aquatic tanks and glass roof biomes. Being run as a Zoo will mean that it will have the dual purposes of conservation work as well as visitor education.

This development will take place on the south side of the Royal Victoria Dock, and will also encompass 5000 new houses, as well as other retail and leisure facilities.

It all sounds pretty good to me - I'm all for big London projects, especially where they're run by charitable organisations rather than profit-making companies.

The Captive Animals Protection Society have launched a campaign against the building of the aquarium, but their arguments are weak, as the aquarium will surely have more than enough positive benefits, in terms of conservation and education, to counter the slight negative effects of acquiring and keeping the animals.